The invention relates generally to a fire start unit and more particularly to a self-contained package that is easily and quickly opened and includes the necessary components to create the spark and material for starting a fire and sealed for long-term storage and easy to use.
The need to create a fire by both civilians and military personnel is well-known. The civilian may be a camper, or stranded individual resulting from a variety of reasons such as an airplane crash, etc. The miliatry reasons may be due to accidents leaving one or more individuals in a stranded area. In many instances the implements used to create the flame must be stored for prolonged periods of time, yet when called for must be "fail safe" since the prospective user's life may well depend on the unit functioning. In military applications the first start unit may form part of a survival kit for emergency use.
The fire start unit must also be adapted for all sorts of storage conditions and be functional in all climatic conditions which may be in the temperature range from -65.degree. to 165.degree. F. It should be pointed out that even matches under certain conditions can self-ignite, and if moistened can fail to ignite. Propane, which is the fuel for most lighters, under adverse conditions is explosive and has certain inherent dangerous hazards. The present invention overcomes these problems by precluding any elements which by their interrelationship and design features self-ignite or fail to ignite upon use.